Columbia Powerdrain shoes ROCK the water/land divide. They are awesome in the drink and really tear it up climbing steep inclines with loose gravel.

If the taxman gave you a rebate this year, you might want to splurge on some of the following. They are some of my favorite pieces that I’ve picked up for my travels. Here’s to traveling with great gear! This is part one in a series of product reviews.

Columbia Water Shoes
The last time I owned water shoes was in the 90’s and it was a pair of clunky, ugly Teva’s. I bought them for a trip to Bora Bora in Tahiti and never touched them. I left them in my bungalow. A Tahitian housekeeper is probably walking around in them as I write this because, although I hated them, they are indestructible.

For my trip to Western Australia’s The Kimberley Coast, I wanted to try a completely different tact. I knew there would be wet landings from a zodiac during my 10-day cruise on the ship Orion. I needed advice so I contacted the company Columbia to see what they recommended for a water shoe novice. Their answer was the Powerdrain, a quick-dry slip-on water shoe that fit true to size for my 7.5 foot.

On the cruise, I used the Powerdrain water shoe constantly. I was on a zodiac trip almost every day, twice a day. The Powerdrain is a lightweight shoe. There wasn’t any chafing even after hiking up a steep rocky cliff for hours, sitting in a pool of a waterfall, and then hiking back down in the heavy heat of the Australian outback midday sun. The shoes always dried out for my next adventure.

I liked them so much that upon my return to LA I wore them all the time – they were the perfect mommy chic to wear when I picked up my son at school. The only problem I have with them is that my feet get very sweaty.

For more about my trip to the Kimberley, see the incredibly long piece I wrote about it for PeterGreenberg.com

Next up for the shoes: the beaches of Waikiki. I’ll be taking them with me to Hawaii this week and trying them out on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. Perhaps, my Columbia Powerdrain water shoes will become my version of the garden gnome, having adventures around the world!